Michael Hattem

Interesting.

We do think now that there was probably more for independence and potentially more that were just neutrals.

But of course, it's rare that a revolution is ever instigated by a majority.

Right?

Like that's a rare thing in human history.

I mean, I think if you have, even if you have a third, but if you have 40% of the population, that's quite significant.

Well, there's a question there, which is, you know, did what happened in April of 1775 at Lexington and Concord, did that start the revolution or did it start the war, the war for independence?

And those two things are not necessarily the same thing in a lot of historians' eyes and certainly in the eyes of many participants.

Benjamin Rush, John Adams all said the same thing, that the war and the revolution were two different things.

But they had been at war with Britain for a year, and that very much complicated the efforts that were going on in the Congress to try to reconcile with Britain, because how do you reconcile while you're also effectively waging war and holding the king's troops at siege in Boston?

But it is the case that the Declaration has had more purposes to it than just

declaring independence, right?

It's not the instrument of independence.

The resolution passed on July 2nd that Richard Henry Lee authors, that's the instrument of independence.

That's when independence happens.

It happens on July 2nd.

The declaration is, in some sense, you might think of it as a kind of PR document, right?

It is sending out the news of independence.

It's laying out the case, as we'll talk about

you know, for why independence and revolution is justified.